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Custom Knacks
'Strength Knacks' Crushing Assault The Scion spends a legend for a scene, and is able to batter her way past an enemy's defenses with great force and power. the Scion rolls strength + either brawl or melee to brute force her way through combat, eschewing grace and finesse. Thrown and marksmanship remain the strict purview of dexterity, although thrown weapons can still benefit from strength in damage. Brutal Bruiser Stories abound of heroes so mighty that they could break men's skulls with their fists. The Scion with this Knack may add his Legend rating to the damage dice pool of any unarmed strike he makes. The attack remains bashing damage, however, and the bonus applies only to unarmed striking attacks against opponents. This knack does not make the Scion any stronger when it comes to smashing inanimate objects, or while grappling, for example. Legendary Parry Prerequisite: Empowered Deflection Just as Scions who dodge attacks do so with fluid movement or blinding speed, the Scion with this Knack may parry or meet blows in an equally heroic manner. As when determining Dodge DV, he may add his Legend dots when determining his Parry DV. With Great Power Although Scions are quite strong, it is sometime prudent to not hit a physical object or person with quite all of the force you are capable of at any given time. Sometimes a foe needs to be taken alive or not broken to awfully much. It is best to not destroy tomorrow's potential asset. As a Scion inflicts damage, choose how many successes which were rolled will actually apply and which will be ignored. This Knack can be used either with melee weapons or physical martial strikes. Steel Drivin' Man The name of this knack is derived from the tale of John Henry, and no sexism is intended. Your strength is such that you may rip through walls and solid rock with your bare hands. By rolling Strength + Craft: Mining (or Science: Geology) vs the difficulties below, you may travel at 1/2 your Move rate through solid objects, walls, and debris. Burrowing is a 3 tick, DV-2, rolled action, similar to Dash except slower. Activating this power costs 1 Legend per die roll. You must roll once per minute, and roll again any time the substance being burrowed through switches to a denser / more resiliant (thus higher on the chart) material. Failure on a roll not only stops you from moving, it also causes 1 level of unsoakable bashing damage as you flail your hands too hard. Your tunnels remain open and stable for a number of hours equal to your dots in Epic Strength, then slowly collapse unless reinforced before then by mundane methods. * Solid rock: 40 * Mortared Rock Walls: 30 * Brick Walls: 20 * Packed Earth: 10 * Loose Surface Soil: 5 (Should the GM need to improvise for a material, a good starting point is 3 time the objects soak / hardness). Dexterity Knacks Born Behind the Wheel Prerequisite: Control (any vehicle) 3, Epic Dexterity 3 Some Scions eschew supernatural flight or teleportation. For them, good old-fashioned Detroit muscle or Boeing steel is more than sufficient to get them where they're going. This Knack helps them make the most of their vehicles. In short, Born Behind the Wheel allows a Scion to fully apply his/her Epic Dexterity bonus to any Control rolls involving their specific vehicle. Also, this Knack allows for any Epic Dexterity Knacks related to speed or evasion to be applied to the vehicle. Finally, the Knack eliminates any penalties for using a weapon while operating a vehicle. Born Behind the Wheel is the descendant of an older Knack, Ride Like the Wind; for game purposes, said Knack is functionally identical to Born Behind the Wheel. Free as the Wind For Scions with Epic Dexterity running freely is as natural as breathing. A Scion with this knack never takes multiple action penalties for performing a dash action and may do so reflexively. Furthermore, the Scion may ignore minor environmental obstacles that would slow her down, ignoring trash and detritus and moving across small obstacles without pause. Without a Trace (rev. 1.1) Light as a feather with a grace of a butterfly, some Scions are gifted with preternatural fluidity. The user of this Knack is both weightless in her movements and able to move across snow, sand without leaving a trace. The user can walk, leap and jump onto objects that have no chance of being able to supporting their weight. The Scion can stand or sit on the most fragile of surfaces without worrying about it not supporting their mass. Any solid material will not break crack or get otherwise displaced by their presence. The most fragile of perches will support their weight. They will leave no footprints when walking and no fingerprints when grabbing at surfaces. The Scion only takes half damage before soak from falling. Note, however, balance is in no way effected (icy is still slippery, a tree branch is still slender). Effects of this Knack are permanent unless consciously deactivated. Untouchable Opponent Revised. This knack adds epic dexterity to DV instead of Epic Dexterity auto-successes Wheelman This Knack allows the Scion to consolidate their Abilities of Control into a single Ability. . If the Ability already has multiple aspects, like a character with 3 dots of Control (Automobile), and 2 dots of Control (Airplane) should discuss the loss of the lesser one with the Storyteller, as with the 10th dot of Animal. 'Stamina Knacks' Already Ready Already Prerequisites: Stamina 3, Epic Stamina 1 (having Dexterity 3 and Epic Dexterity 1 is also recommended) Tales abound of gods and demigods having sexual stamina that no mere mortal can match (let alone surpass). Some legendary beings are able to carry it off by sheer force of personality (cough cough Zeus cough cough), but for the rest, a Knack like this comes in very handy. The mechanics of this Knack are probably best left described as vague generalities. For those wishing more concrete numbers, the Mr. Studd and Midnight Lady cyber-implants from Cyberpunk 2020 would make a good baseline. Blood of the Serpent Prerequisites: Inner Furnace The Ichor in the blood of this Scion is such that he does not suffer from the effects of toxins, poisons, or radiation. Whether inhaled, ingested, or injected, poisons have no effect on the Scion. More malicious Scions with this Knack have been known to use this trait offensively utilizing airborne poisons during normal combat without fear of contamination. This knack is known by several names based on the pantheon in question, but Blood of the Serpent is the most common. Supernatural toxins must still be resisted normally. Brick Wall The Scion is built like a brick wall, almost literally. Whenever he takes bashing damage, he also deals bashing damage to the source. Each point of damage soaked by the Scion is dealt back to the attacker and object used in the attack. The specific details are up to the storyteller. Punching the Scion would result in damage to the attacker, while hitting him with a bat could break the bat (dealing damage to the attacker from the force on the attackers wrists), Getting hit by a car on the other hand would cause a large dent in the car, as well as the driver taking damage from the impact. Any non soaked damage is still taken normally by the scion. Controlled Potency This Knack allows a Scion to control his or her fertility. It has several aspects to it. To start with, the Scion will not sire or bear children unless he or she intends to. There will be no accidental pregnancies. The Scion can, at no cost, decide to turn off the power, and let Fate decide whether pregnancy happens, or can spend Legend. At a cost of 3 Legend the Scion can guarantee pregnancy in themselves or their partner. Females can spend a willpower to insure twins, with the option of another legend for triplets. The parent can decide which gender the child is, and mothers with appearance knacks that alter appearance can apply them to their babies to choose their appearances as adults. Hidden Pregnancy Prerequisite: Controlled Potency Seriously, can you imagine Aphrodite going along with 9 months of pregnancy problems? This Knack, usable only by Scions in female form, allows a full 9-month pregnancy without any of the visible signs. She will remain as thin and attractive as ever. The exact process is difficult to describe, but most of the fetal development takes place outside of the world, only edging back into the physical realm in the final week or so, giving the Scion warning that it is time to drop. The downside to this is that, if the Scion chooses to leave pregnancy up to Fate, and not specifically choose whether or not it happens, she might not even realize she is pregnant until the last week, when her belly starts to suddenly expand. 'Perception Knacks' Selective Palate While Epic Stamina Knacks can give a Scion the ability to ingest nearly anything, they do nothing at all for the taste. Sometimes ignorance is bliss when it comes to the palate, and this Knack makes that a possibility. Selective Palate gives allows a Scion to, effectively, switch his/her taste buds on or off, either individually or en masse (allowing a Scion to, for example, eat raw sewage with pure nonchalance, because all she tastes is pure honey). This Knack can come in especially useful in social situations where a Scion is expected to consume distasteful or dangerous substances; the ability to do so with apparent equanimity can do wonders for one's Legend. Sharpshooter The old, traditional pantheon gods may feel that guns and other newfangled firearms are a trifling matter, but many up-and-coming Scions are very attached to their toys and have found a way around their normal limitations. The Scion with this Knack has made a study of knowing exactly where to aim to cause the most damage; by spending one point of Legend for the scene, she may add her Perception to her damage rolls when using guns. Sight Beneath the Surface Prerequisite: Telescopic Senses Scions with Epic Perception are sometimes accused of having X-ray vision. That accusation is unvarnished truth if the Scion has this Knack. To use this Knack, the Scion spends one Legend point when targeting a specific subject (living being or not). Their enhanced vision is only limited by their will to see; viewing the subject's internal bone structure is as easy as simply beneath her clothes. Prudent Scions use this Knack to surreptitiously frisk people or objects for weapons or explosives, making themselves the ideal point man for their Bands. Earthier-minded Scions use it to see the underwear (if any) and naked bodies of attractive members of the relevant gender, making the entire World their private peep show. 'Intelligence Knacks' Renaissance (Wo)Man Prerequisite: Star Pupil This Knack allows the Scion to consolidate their Abilities of Art, Craft, Control and Science into a single Ability. For instance, a Scion who had three dots in Art (Guitar) who took this Knack would suddenly have three dots in all forms of Art. He would pick them up instantly, instinctively knowing how to play the piano, sing, dance, do comedy improv, etc. A Scion who had 4 dots in Science (Biology) would suddenly have equal knowledge in chemistry, astronomy, etc. This Knack can be taken multiple times, each one allowing the character to consolidate a different Ability. If the Ability already has multiple aspects, like a character with 3 dots of Control (Automobile), and 2 dots of Control (Airplane) should discuss the loss of the lesser one with the Storyteller, as with the 10th dot of Animal. 'Wits Knacks' Lateral Thinking Prerequisite: Meditative Focus The Scion with this Knack is so quick-witted and difficult to predict that those attempting to affect her mentally are at a serious disadvantage. She may add her Wits to any dice roll made to resist being affected by an outside power (though, since this is a function of her wits and not her mental faculties or appearance, this Knack cannot be combined with Blockade of Reason or Bedazzling Image). 'Charisma Knacks' Calm the Savage The Scion with this Knack has a soothing presence and can calm even the most aggressive enemy with his charming demeanour alone. Just being in the character's presence can have a relaxing effect, all aggression and frustration disappearing with the sound of his voice, look on his face or some other effect of the looks, smell or posture of the character. No one can attack or try take any other hostile physical action toward this Scion without first succeeding in a Willpower roll, with difficulty equal to the number of dots the Scion has in Epic Charisma. This roll can be passed automatically by spending a Willpower point, though mortals and animals will not normally do this, and the Knack does not operate if the Scion himself is being angry, offensive or combative. Icebreaker By sharing a brief witticism, strange or flirtatious comment, or a funny face, you can make any character smile, laugh, giggle, or blush in spite of themselves. Doing so costs you nothing, and is a reflexive action that affects equally anyone who sees or hears it. The effect lasts only a few seconds per use, and does not inflict mechanical penalties of any sort. For one willpower, you can make an individual "not get it" - in that case they alone react as they see fit, not necessarily as you directed. The most potent use of this knack is thus to create complicated situations by making someone react inappropriately in public, or make people feel self-conscious. Characters with Legend zero have no defense against this. Those with a Legend of 1 or higher may guard themselves against it after your first use. One willpower renders them immune for the rest of the scene. If they encounter you again in a later scene, they may spend a willpower as soon as they see or hear you. This knack has other, more benign, uses as well. It can help to break the tension or establish yourself as a friendly fellow. If you use this in a way that leaves no one feeling left out, miffed or embarrassed (GM's call if that's debatable), it gives +1 die on all the social rolls you make for the remainder of this scene. This is not cumulative with itself - telling lots of jokes doesn't result in an ever-increasing bonus. Speak Without Interruption When the Scion speaks, others close their mouths and listen. His voice is simply so captivating, and his presence of personality so great, that others would never dream of interrupting him. A Scion with this knack can spend a Legend Point before he starts speaking, and can speak for several minutes without anyone being able to interject or say anything. So long as he speaks continuously, and with regards to a single subject, others simply will not want to speak. Listeners can over-ride this effect by spending a single Willpower point - if they do so they can interject, or even attack. Mortals will not normally think to do this, finding it entirely natural to just stand and listen. Scions and other supernaturals will be more aware that they are being magically quietened, and are more likely to throw off the Knack's effect. 'Manipulation Knacks' Bait into Response When the Scion speaks, he cajoles and goads, and others simply cannot resist framing a response, regardless of how much they want to just ignore him. He is so provocative that even the most temperate individual feels the urge to argue. A Scion with this knack can spend a Legend Point before he starts speaking, and target one individual. That target indivdual will be goaded into responding to what the Scion is saying, and will desire to argue any points he disagrees with, even if it is in his best interests to shut up and say nothing. The victim of the Knack can't just be dismissive either - he will do his best to frame a rational counter-response, and will find himself getting drawn into debates whether he wants to be or not. Victims of this Knack can over-ride this effect by spending a single Willpower point - if they do so they can choose to ignore the Scion. Mortals will not normally do this, preferring to fight back (however ineffectually) against the Scion's arguments. Scions and other supernaturals will be more aware that they are being magically provoked, and are more likely to throw off the Knack's effect. Master of Threats The Scion can intuitively find the right words to frighten someone, striking a chord with their fears, and pushing just the right buttons to intimidate them. The Scion spends a Legend Point to activate this power - when he does so, he selects a single victim, and intuitively knows just the right words and verbal posturing to intimidate the target. The target won't necessarily flee or crumble at the Scion's words, but he cannot help but take the intimidation attempt seriously, and will find the Scion's threats troubling him for some time afterwards. 'Appearance Knacks' Bedazzling Image Prerequisite: Blinding Visage The Scion with this Knack is so visually impressive--whether divinely beautiful or torturously ugly--that those attempting to affect her mentally are at a disadvantage from plain distraction. She may add her appearance to any dice roll made to resist being affected by an outside power (though, since this is a function of her appearance and not her mental faculties, this Knack cannot be combined with Blockade of Reason or Lateral Thinking). Induce Incoherency Some people are just so beautiful that others around them feel tongue-tied, and unable to speak, for fear of seeming clumsy and stupid in comparison. A Scion using this knack spend a Legend Point, and then lets loose his most dazzling smile before speaking. All others present and socially interacting with the Scion must either spend a willpower point, or be tongue-tied for a number of minutes equal to the Scion's Epic Appearance. Though a tongue-tied character can still talk, he trips and stumbles over his words, and seems clumsy, shy and socially inept. Characters with equal or higher Epic Appearance than the Scion using this Knack are unaffected. This option is available to characters with Epic Appearance representing hideousness, but in this case onlookers find themselves tongue tied out of mute fascination and disconcertion with the character's hideousness. You can only use this Knack once per scene, or once per social combat. Little Black Dress (a.k.a., Black Tie) Clothes may make the man or woman, but a Scion with this Knack will never look out of place, whatever he/she is wearing.... or not wearing. This Knack is always active, and allows a Scion's appearance to be perceived as perfectly appropriate for any given setting. Wearing ripped jeans and a Hawaiian shirt at an upper-crust WASP wedding, riot gear at a nudist colony, any Western clothing at all during an Amatsukami conclave in Takamagahara - a Scion with Little Black Dress always appears perfectly attired and groomed for the occasion. The exceptions to this are those with Epic Perception exceeding the Scion's Epic Appearance. Object of Desire / Object of Nightmare With a brush of the hand or a light kiss, a Scion can work his way into an individual's psyche, penetrating their dreams and waking thoughts. A victim of this knack will become obsessed with the Scion, able to think of little else and driven to distraction by remembrance of his striking features. A Scion with this knack must touch his victim in order to use this knack, though the target must also be able to see the Scion. The knack is more effective with more intimate contact - a kiss is more effective than a light touch to the skin, for example. The victim of this power will find himself obsessing over the Scion. If the Scion is beautiful, then the victim will find himself taken with lust and desire, wanting to touch and be with the Scion again. Depending on his personality, the victim may seek to please the Scion, or will obsess at home alone, or may even try to get the Scion's attention by force. If the Scion is hideous, then the victim will find himself haunted by fear and revulsion, seeing the Scion's terrifying countenance whenever he closes his eyes, and feeling horrified by the thought of seeing the Scion again. The duration of the Knack is equal to the Scion's Legend rating multiplied by his Epic Appearance rating. For a light touch of the skin, the duration is measured in minutes. For a prolonged touch, the effect lasts hours. For a quick kiss, the knack lasts days. For a passionate kiss, the effect lasts weeks. For full sexual or similarly intimate contact, the effect lasts months. For example, if a Scion with Legend 3 and Epic Appearance 2 kisses his victim passionately and uses the Object of Desire knack, the target will obsess for six weeks. Scions and other legendary beings are no less vulnerable to this power than mortals, but are more likely to realise they are being supernaturally manipulated, and will be able to overcome their feelings to act as they will. Using this Knack costs 1 Legend Point. Proactive Wake Whether it's due to your rugged good looks or your terrifying demeanor, people just tend to stay out of your way. Characters without a Legend score can't step into your path without a very good reason - and even then they must spend a Willpower to render themselves immune for the scene. Such mundane folks won't approach you at a party, and crowds automatically part for you walk between them. This even works during rush-hour traffic. The cars go out of their way to leave an opening for you - no one wants to provoke your road rage. Ignore all DV and movement penalties caused by throngs of mundane mortals. This benefit extends to anyone following immediately after you - which is good when guiding friends through a crowd, but bad when trying to escape pursuit. You may take this Knack regardless of being Epically beautiful or ugly - smokin' good looks can flabbergast and intimidate just as well as horrific scars do. The default assumption is that this power is always on, but you may spend a Willpower to deactivate it for a scene. Should that backfire, you may spend a second Willpower to reactivate it mid-scene, but those rendered immune earlier remain resistant. Serpent's Gaze (House Rule fix) The Scion can captivate others with his eyes, forcing a victim to lock gaze with him. The victim becomes entirely helpless as long as the Scion keeps eye contact (as a diceless action), and is considered Inactive for as long as eye contact is held. Scions and other legendary beings of equal or higher Legend than the Scion using this Knack are immune to the effect. Scions and other legendary beings of lower Legend than the Scion using this Knack can break free of the effect by spending a Willpower point, but only after a single action spent Inactive. Breaking free in this way renders the target immune to Serpent's Gaze for the rest of the scene. Mortals and others with a Legend rating of zero cannot resist Serpent's Gaze. If used in combat, engaging someone with Serpent's Gaze is a Speed 3 action, and requires a successful Manipulation + Presence roll. If the target is actively trying to avoid the Scion's gaze, they can resist with Wits + Awareness. Alternatively, a prepared target can avoid the effect altogether by keeping his eyes closed, but then must fight blind. Sunglasses and the like do not protect against Serpent's Gaze. Seductive Beauty A beautiful face and sexually attractive body are the basis of attraction. The Scion is naturally skilled at being seductive, and can use his divine nature to all but overwhelm the pathetic attempts of others to resist his advances. The Scion spends a single Legend Point to empower his Seductive Beauty, and selects the target of his seduction. The next dice roll he makes to seduce that target gains a bonus number of dice equal to his Epic Appearance score (e.g. three dots Epic Appearance adds three dice). This Knack can only be taken by characters with divine beauty, not monstrous ugliness. Star Power Available only to characters whose appearance represents beauty. Less than a minute after you get out of the water, your hair and clothes are dry. Bloodstains fade from your Italian suit in moments. You could crawl out of the crater at ground zero, and be ready for a debutante ball minutes later. Bullet-holes and rapier-pricks in your waitress uniform look as fashionable as this season's plunging neckline from a name designer. Your perm is as permanent as you'd like, and your 'do won't do anything you'd rather it didn't. In short, nothing can stop you from looking hot for more than a scene. As soon as you're alone, or the camera cuts, your body and fashion returns to its beautiful apex. Mechanically, you are able to eliminate one dot of penalties to any social roll for each dot of Legend Rating you have, provided such penalties are caused by stains, holes, wrinkles, or general disheveledness. This affect is free if you're alone and off-camera, but may be invoked on cue via a Speed:3 (DV-1, Diceless) action (representing straightening your collar, running a comb through your hair, or similar preening) and a point of Legend. Category:Scion